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Julián CastroBorn in 1974, Julián Castro graduated with a B.A. from Stanford University in 1996 and a J.D. from Harvard in 2000. He was elected to the city council of his hometown, San Antonio, in 2001, and successfully ran for mayor in 2009. During some of the intervening years he ran a law practice. In 2014 he resigned his mayoral position when he was appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under the Obama administration, serving until 2017.
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Arms Trade Treaty
Castro’s position on this issue is unknown.
Arms Sales to Saudi Coalition
Castro explicitly supports ending arms sales and military support to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.
Response to Council on Foreign Relations questionnaire, November 20, 2019
"The murder of Jamal Khashoggi on the orders of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the continuing Saudi-led war in Yemen, and human rights abuses within Saudi Arabia, make clear it is long past time to reassess our relationship with the Saudi government and its ruling monarchy.
That will start with an immediate end to arms sales, military and intelligence support of Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, an end to all exports of nuclear technology, equipment, or materials to Saudi Arabia, the imposition of Global Magnitsky Act sanctions on the individuals responsible for the death of Jamal Khashoggi, and the withdrawal of any U.S. forces President Trump plans on deploying in the country."
Response to question on whether Saudi Arabia is still a U.S. ally, Crooked Media, April 5, 2019
“I don’t know what other information there is or how helpful they may have been. But right now I would say that it certainly raises the question. And it’s alarming that Saudi Arabia would be progressing toward nuclear capacity in this way. And there seems to be little accountability right now.”
Firearms Export Oversight
Castro’s position on this issue is unknown. He supports banning assault-style weapons domestically, but has not directly addressed broader export oversight rules.
"People First Plan to Disarm Hate", August 9, 2019
"We need a renewed assault weapons ban and strict limits on high-capacity magazines to reduce gun fatalities."